The Conviction: Enacting Vigilante Justice

by John Mathews

  “After a thorough criminal investigation Kansas officials continue to fight in court over funding to the abortion clinic ‘Planned Parenthood’. Results of the investigation concluded that the clinic had corrupt employees covering up at least 90 abortions of girls age 15 years or less without parental consent. Findings have further substantiated the probability of rape or molestation by adults going unreported and covered up by ‘Planned Parenthood’. Former Attorney General Phill Kline was also under investigation and is…”

  Nancy started flipping through the other pages in the scrapbook. It was a collection of investigations into corrupt organizations and government officials in the state of Kansas. She set the scrapbook back down on the table and looked at John.

  “When you were in that room upstairs and told what your conditions were, what specifically did they tell you to do and why were you put in that office to monitor us?”

  “I told you everything that I could, Nancy.” John paused. “We’re not supposed to share what’s asked of us with the others, which is why we each have to go into one of the rooms alone.”

  “I want to know what is going to be asked of me before going into the room,” Nancy replied.

  Jeffrey grabbed Nancy by the arm to turn her around to face him. “What you just read in that book – what’s that all about?”

  “It seems to be a collection of corruption investigation cases in Kansas on all levels.”

  “So what the fuck does that mean – that we’re being investigated more as a result of our case?” Jeffery sneered.

  “It’s deeper than that, I think,” John replied. “I know what will be asked of you two in your rooms. I was supposed to keep the information secret as part of my agreement. But considering the circumstances I guess that I…”

  “You KNOW what we gotta do and didn’t tell us?” Jeffrey stood face to face with John. “Tell me, man, what the fuck I gonna need to do to get out of here?”

  John tentatively put his hand up to Jeffrey’s muscled chest. “Calm down, I can tell you each what you will have to do, but you can’t share the information with each other, okay? Remember, there are video cameras in every room.”

  Nancy and Jeffrey nodded. John took the ink pen and ripped off a blank sheet of paper from the scrap book. Then he tore the sheet of paper in half and started writing. A few minutes later he folded each piece of paper, handing one to Nancy and the other to Jeffrey. “Keep these to yourself.”

  Each of them eagerly read what was written. Jeffrey finished and threw his piece of paper to the floor. “That’s it? No way, man. I’m breaking out of this joint before I go through that shit.”

  Nancy looked perplexed. She gazed at John, and then crumpled up her piece of paper and stuck it in her pocket. “Didn’t you say that there was an exit door in this room that goes to the outside?”

  John spoke hesitantly. “According to the monitor in the office there should be, but I don’t see anything…”

  “It would’ve been somewhere along this back wall,” Nancy mused. “But all I see are these old bookshelves. And why aren’t there any chairs in here?” She got closer to the shelves to get a better look.

  She reached up to take one of the books, which didn’t have anything written on the spine, off the shelf. It didn’t move, as if it was glued in place. After trying to take off a few more of the books, Nancy discovered that all of them were stuck in place, if they were even real, creating the appearance of a library.

  Nancy peered at John. “These books aren’t real. I think the bookshelves were put here to cover up an exit door. There has to be a way to move them and see what’s behind there.”

  Not wasting a moment, Jeffrey leaned against the shelves and pushed with all of his might. They didn’t budge.

  “I don’t think that brute force is going to accomplish anything.” John was exasperated and spoke quickly. “The shelves are there for a reason. Come on, let’s go up the stairwell and back into the hall with the four doors.”

  “If there’s a way out of here then let’s find it, John.” Nancy ran her fingers along the edges of the books feeling for some kind of opening. Then she started to pull on the spine of each book until finally one of them moved forward. A portion of the bookcase swung open revealing a metal door behind it that was locked from the inside with a padlock.

  There was a small window in the top of the door. Nancy peeked through the window and saw a section of parking lot outside. “This is a way out!”

  John grabbed Nancy by the arm. “Wait – we can’t do this. The door is locked with a padlock and it really is not a good idea to…”

  “The HELL we can’t,” Jeffrey roared, shoving John out of the way. Then he pulled off one of the boots he was wearing and took out a short iron bar to break the lock with.

  John had beads of sweat forming on his brow. “Jeffrey – wait! They’re waiting for us outside. They see and hear everything. This is a trap and they know what we’re up to.”

  Jeffrey, holding the bar in one hand, pressed his face up to the glass to try and see better. It was quite late as the sun had already set and he couldn’t make out much. The glimmer from a few dim street lights shone down on the otherwise dark pavement. “Who, man? Who’s waiting outside? And don’t you DARE say Jordan Davidson. What are they gonna do if they see us?”

  “Well, it’s – the people working with him.” John’s voice trembled. “I mean – I don’t know for sure, but I know that they will use extreme force if we don’t do what we’re asked. There are men surrounding the building at all times.”

  Nancy looked John in the eye, then back at Jeffrey. “He’s in on it and is lying. Break the lock, Jeffrey.”

  “I swear, I – I’m telling the truth!” John stuttered. “You must believe me! To go out that door would be a terrible mistake.”

  Nancy shook her head in disbelief. “Don’t listen to him Jeffrey! Break the lock.”

  “I’m gonna break the lock and then I’ll send John out first, as a probe to investigate,” Jeffrey snickered. He started to beat against the padlock with the iron bar. After several thunderous swings, the lock fell to the ground.

  Jeffrey shoved John in front of the door. “Open it and get out there.”

  Shaking like a leaf, John opened the door and stepped through the threshold just outside onto the gravel, with the others waiting behind him.

  TWELVE

  John stood still for a moment, squinting to see better into the growing darkness. One of the small street lights flickered as if the bulb was burning out. Then, in the blink of an eye, some fire flashed before his eyes. The rat-a-tat-tat sound of an UZI fully automatic machine gun sliced through the cool night air like a savage animal beating on a drum. The silhouettes of two men were visible for a moment, each holding the lethal weapon. As the sound reverberated through the doorway, John fell to the ground, collapsing in a heap on the bits of gravel.

  Jeffrey slammed the door, shoving Nancy back into the room, and closed the secret opening in the library. He sat down on the floor breathing heavily, trying to think, seeming oblivious to the screams and cries that Nancy made. He felt a rage inside and wanted to get ahold of one of the men and tear him to pieces.

  He saw Nancy cowering in a corner sobbing, her face buried in her hands. He wondered if he could somehow use her fragile emotional state to help get them out of the building safely. Perhaps she would make a good decoy, he pondered. He was now certain that nobody involved had his best interests in mind.

  Jeffrey shouted at Nancy. “Lemme know when you’re done cryin’. I’m gonna be making a break for it and finding a way outta here alive.”

  Nancy tilted her head up from between her hands. Jeffrey expected her face to be wet with tears, but to his surprise it was completely dry. “But didn’t you just SEE what happened when we tried that?”

  “Ya – I saw. Evidently, that was the wrong way. There ain’t nobody that’s gonna take me out like that. If there’s a way outta here, I’m about to find it. Th
is is a matter of life and fucking death.”

  “You do what you need to do. I’m going to go up those stairs which should lead back to the hall with the four rooms. I’m ready to face whatever I need to do to get out of here safely.”

  Jeffrey stood up and hovered over Nancy. “After all you’ve seen since we got here, you’re gonna TRUST in that? No way, man! It’s all a set-up, don’t you get it? John is dead! None of us are meant to leave here alive.”

  “You can be some idiot vigilante if you want, but I’ve got too much to live for. And watch what you say – there are cameras in here that pick up everything.”

  Jeffrey snickered. “Is that so?” He quickly surveyed the room. In one corner of the ceiling there was a small video camera with a little red light. He took his boot off again and hurled it at the video camera. It came crashing down onto the floor in several pieces. “I’m finding a way back to the main entrance and gonna get out without anyone seeing me. Maybe I oughta bring you along with me as insurance bait. Since you think I’m so dumb and all…”

  “I don’t think you’re dumb, Jeffrey.” He saw Nancy cower, trying to avoid eye contact with him when she responded. “I would only get in your way and you know that. You do what you need to do. I don’t want to complicate…”

  “Oh you wouldn’t.” Jeffrey replied, putting his boot back on. “I sure didn’t need you to get past the laser beams. And I didn’t need you to get into the office room where John was. But now I might be able to use you to test out an escape route. Not bad for an idiot, huh?”

  “You’re not an idiot. In fact, I think you’re quite brilliant. I just told you to remain calm at times and not act on impulse. I’m a more rational thinker. I saved you in court, Jeffrey, don’t forget. If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t even…”

  “Ya, I guess you did save me. Thank God your rich and snobby ass is good for somethin’. And now you can save me again.” Jeffrey reached down and grabbed Nancy by the arm, hoisting her to her feet. “Get moving, we’re going out the front door.”

  “Wait, Jeffrey!” She pleaded, meekly. “I’m nothing more than a burden to you now. Think about it – we saw what happened to John! The same thing could happen to either one of us, so how would I save you from anything? I’m old and slow. You’re gifted psychically and CAN get out of here without me.”

  Jeffrey let go of her, standing still in thought. He knew that she was right. At this point, any plans that he had to escape would have to be carried out alone. He ran his right hand along his brow and flicked his fingers at her as if to say ‘See ya.’ Then he darted through the arch-shaped opening and up the flight of stairs.

  Nancy let out a big breath, her heart racing and hands trembling. She sat down against the wall, wanting to take some time to collect her thoughts.

  The stairs wound to the right as he went up and spilled out onto a small landing. In front of the landing was a wooden door. Jeffrey tried to open the door but it was locked from the other side. Not wasting a moment to consider his options, he hurled his muscled shoulder against the door. Despite the force of the blow, the door stayed closed. He continued to thrust his body against the wood. After several minutes, the locking mechanism broke, and the door cracked open a bit. Jeffrey bent over and, using brute strength, forced the door half open, despite the fact that something seemed to be blocking it from the other side.

  He slipped through the opening, maneuvering himself around an office table that had been placed against the other side of the door. He was relieved to find himself back in the hallway with the concrete block walls and four marked doors. Beige paint chips were on the floor, evidence that the door he had just broken down had been painted over to hide it, and the office table with big screen television had been placed in front of it.

  Jeffrey looked up at the ventilation ducts. Feeing sure that there wouldn’t be any gas coming out into the hallway, he walked past the four doors to the other end where the entry to another stairwell had been blocked by a steel door. Only now this door was slid open just a bit, leaving about an eight inch gap between it and the wall. He grabbed a hold of the edge of the steel door, and pulled with all of his strength trying to open it. His huge arm muscles bulged out, but the heavy door did not move. He braced himself against the wall on the other side of the door, bending down at the knees. Then he pushed the edge of the steel as hard as he could. His efforts were to no avail as the door was clearly secured from the other side.

  Jeffrey pounded on the metal with his fists in frustration. There has to be a way to open this from the other side. He reached an arm in the gap between the door and the wall. Starting at the bottom, he slid his hand up slowly, feeling inside against the door and the wall. As he got to the top with his arm fully extended, he felt a small lever and pulled on it. The locking mechanism to the door released, but instead of the door opening, it closed more. Feeling as if the full weight of the steel was pressing down on his arm, Jeffrey wailed, and heaving in big gulps of air, thrust all of his weight against the edge of the door. It finally moved slowly until it was completely open, and locked firmly into place. He took just a moment to catch his breath and then darted down the stairs back into the large warehouse space with the buffet table.

  ***

  Nancy was engrossed in thought. Let that damn barbarian find his own way out. I’m sure someone will be ready and waiting for him. If he had even a shred of common sense… She sighed. I’m not taking any more unnecessary risks. If I get through what I need to do upstairs, I’ll be getting out of here. She stood up, thinking for a moment about going back to the office room with the panel to make sure than the switches to the gas were off. But she trusted John on this, and instead went through the arch-shaped opening and up the stairs.

  Seeing the wooden door broken with fallen paint chips, Nancy shook her head at the sight of what Jeffrey had done, but was glad that he had cleared the way for her. She carefully stepped into the narrow hallway and looked around to be sure that she was alone. Then she went and stood in front of the painted white door marked ‘Exposure’. She closed her eyes and waited anxiously for the door to open. Several minutes passed and nothing happened. Nancy looked at the television set, and then up at the small camera in the corner of the ceiling. She stayed still, facing the door one more time. Then she noticed that in fact it was already ajar. She walked slowly up to the door marked ‘Exposure’, pushed it open, and slipped inside the next room, closing it firmly behind her.

  THIRTEEN

  Jeffrey walked past the stack of shipping crates and stood again inside the large ground-level space. The room was mostly dark with only a flicker of light coming in from the street lamps outside. He found his way over to the buffet table, grabbed some meat and cheese, and scarfed it down. The surrounding red brick walls appeared impenetrable, and the windows with steel bars would be impossible to escape through. He could not see the ceiling but remembered that the wooden beams with metal support pipes were more than twenty feet up, well out of his reach.

  Jeffrey turned towards the door to the outside. There was a narrow shaft of light shining through, so he made his way towards it. As he got closer, he stopped dead in his tracks. The formerly locked steel-plated door was open. He wanted to bolt through it to make his escape, but thought twice about it. There ain’t no way that door being open is an accident. Either someone is outside waiting for me to go out there, just like they were for John. Or else, someone came through that door, and is somewhere here, inside the room with me. Either way, I gotta act first.

  He grabbed the iron bar from inside his boot and scurried to the brick wall on the far left side of the room. Figuring it was safer to have open space on only three sides of him, Jeffrey moved along the wall like a stealthy spider seeking food. He turned his head back and forth in the darkness, making sure that he was alone. After a few more steps, he came to the corner where the two walls came together at the back of the room. To his surprise, he saw that there was an old wooden door that he hadn’t noticed before
. He pushed it open, ducked into a dimly lit room, and closed it behind him.

  The small storage room he found himself in was about eight feet long on each side and lit by one bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. There were four more shipping crates in a corner and a narrow window in the back wall. Unlike the other windows in the warehouse, this one was not covered with steel bars. Jeffrey took two of the crates and moved them underneath the window. He quickly pulled himself on top of the crates and stood up. With the ledge under the window just below his chin, he peered outside into the darkness. It looked to be about a fifteen foot drop to the narrow alleyway below.

  Bingo! That alley is deserted and as black as night. All I need to do is get down there and nobody is gonna catch me. Not wanting to waste another precious moment, Jeffrey leaned back and smashed the glass pane with the iron bar. Shards of glass fell all around him but he was not injured. He used the bar to clear the ledge of glass shards, and reached his arms through the window space. Then he grabbed tightly on the outside ledge and pulled himself through.

  Knowing that he would get hurt if he just jumped down from there, Jeffrey grabbed the top of the window opening. He turned himself around slowly, until his back was to the outside. Then he let one leg at a time slide down the outer wall, and moved his hands down to the ledge again until he was dangling along the outside wall. Finally, he let go, and fell to the hard pavement below.

  ***

  “Be careful, John. You took quite a spill there and that pavement is unforgiving. Here, let me help you up.” The tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a charcoal-colored suit and black leather mask covering his face extended his hand out to John Madison.

  “Um, why thank you…Mr. Davidson.” John spoke timidly. “I can’t…do you see my glasses somewhere? They seem to have fallen…”